Rat-trap.



S. ONYSKOW.

RAT TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1914.

Patented Mar. 9,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 QwitMa-ooeo S. ONYSKOW.

RAT TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1914.

Patenfied Mar. 9

1915. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

srnvnsrnn onxsxow, or JENKINS, KENTUCKY, AssIGNon or ONE-HALF T0 rn'rnn GODLESKY, OF JENKINS, KENTUCKY.

RAT-TRAP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SILVESTER ONYsKow, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Jenkins, in the county of Letcher and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rat- 'Iraps, of-which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in traps and'more especially to mouse .and rat traps.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a self-setting trap in which the Specification of Letters Iatent.

Application filed July 30,

' Patented Mar. 9,1915.

1914. Seria1No .854,164. Y

receiving the front wall or drop door 14 an upwardly extending lock arm 18 adapted I to project beneath the lower edge of the drop door when open in its elevated position and the trip board is tilted forwardly as shown in Fig. 1.

The casing 10 is provided with a top 19 animal .which is caught is precipitated into having a forward slot 20 therethrough for a receptacle containing liquid for final exthe accommodation of the drop door let and termination by drowning. 1s also prov ded rearwardly with a curved out- A further object of the invention is to away opening 21 communicating with averprovide a trap in which the entering of the tically positioned passageway formed upon animal closes the same against exit while the adjacent side 22 of the casing 11 by the upon traveling through a passage the weight reticulate wall 23 and leading from the outof the animal resets the trap, the animal letopenmg 21 of the casing 10 to the inlet then falling. into the drowning liquid from opening 24 of the casing 11. the resetting mechanism. The inlet opening 24 is positioned through A still further object'is to provide a trap the top of the side 22 while a bracket 26 is that is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, positioned within the casing 11 below the but that securely retains the animal after opening 24 and provides a platform for reentering the same, and further provides a ceiving the animal while opposite flaring separate means of killing the animal by sides 27 for directing the travel of the anidrowning, and has an automatic resetting mal onto a tiltingplatfo'rm 28 are positioned mechanism actuated by the animals weight. thereabove.

In the drawings forming a part of this ported by a bail-shaped arm 29 trunnioned application and in which like designating as at 30 upon the wall 22 and having its :characters refer to. corresponding parts opposite inner ends 31 secured as at 32 to throughout the severahviews, Figure 1 is a the platform 28. The outer end of the bail central vertical sectionalview, taken through 29 is provided with a ring 33 to which one the trap, when the same is in its set position. end ofthe cord 34 is secured While the Fig. 2 is a horizontal transverse sectional other end thereof is secured to the top of the view taken upon 11-11 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is drop door 14.

a horizontal transversev sectional view The tank 35 is removably positioned withtaken upon III-III of Fig. 1. Fig. 4:- is a in the casing 11 and directly beneath the fragmentary detail view of the resetting trip platform 26 and 28, and whereby as will be hinge connection and the adjacentelements evident an animal entering upon theplat- :shown upon an enlarged scale, and, Fig. 5 form 26 and stepping upon the platform 28 is an enlarged detail perspective view of .a will by reason of the weight of the animal portionof the locking trip mechanism and tilt downwardly the platform 28, thusprethe bait carrier and a'portion of the base. cipitating the animal into the fluid 36 Referring more in detail to the drawings, which is contained in the tank 35 and de- .it will be noted that the same broadly consigned for the purpose of drowning the sists in providing two casings the smaller animals that are caught by the trap. v of which designated 10 constitutes the j-[ani- I It'Will be noted that the trlp board 16 1s mal-catching portion OftHe-device, while iprovided. with a swmgmg bait holder 37 the larger casing 11 contains the killing deupon the edge thereofropposlte to the lock vice. Y r arm-18 and said holder is provided with a The casing 10 has oppositereticulate sides plurality of perforations 38 and with a 12 which are forwardly provided with opswinging hook 39 for securing bait to the posite'slotted ways'13 adapted for slidably holder.

The upper portion 30 of the casing 11 is in the form of a strap and is provided with a plurality of perforations 41 at its outer side in alinement with the opening 24 for admitting light to the platform 28. The casing 11 is provided with a hinged cover or lid 42 for preventing the escape of the animal while the side 22 is provided with an upwardly inclined hinged plate 43 which opens during the upward movement of the animal and automatically closes after the animal has passed the plate while the plate prevents the return of the animal downwardly to the casinglO. A post 44 upon the outer face of the Wall 22 and rearwardly of the plate 43 insures the automatic return of the plate to its closed position by reason of its own weight.

The bait holder 37 is adapted to swing inwardly above the trip board 16 for the purpose of receiving bait upon the hook 39 and is then swung outwardly against the adjacent side of the casing 10 to position the bait between the holder 37 and the casing side, thereby preventing the animal from procuring the bait after entering the trap. It will be noted that'the wall 22 within the passage 23 is provided with transverse grooves or steps 46 for affording assistance to the animal in climbing upwardly to the opening 24.

The complete operation of the device will be apparent from the present description in that with the tank 35 partially filled with liquid 36 and positioned Within the casing 11 beneath the tilting platform 28 and the rigid platform. 26, the elements being posi' tioned as shown in Fig. l, the entering of an animal into the casing 19 and beneath the drop door 14 thereof and upon the trip board 16 actuates the forward portion of said board and moves its arm 18 upwardly when the animal reaches the rear portion of the board, which by reason of the weight of the animal tilts downwardly. This movement of the lock arm 18 releases the door '14 which drops of its own weight and closes the entrance to the casing 19 while at the same time elevating the platform 28 to a horizontal position by means of the connecting cord 34 and arm 29. The animal having been enticed into the case 19 by the bait upon the holder 37 is thus prevented from escaping and passes upwardly through the passage 23 elevating bail 43 and passing by the same and through the opening 24 to a position upon the platform 26. The platform 28 lying in substantially horizontal alinement with said platform 26, and the openings 41 being in alinement with the entrance opening 24, the animal steps upon the platform 28 and the weight of the animalft'ilts said platform downwardly whereupon the animal falls into the liquid 36, and

is drowned or retained therein until the tank 35 is removed from the casing 11 by removing the same out of the cutaway portion 35 thereof. The tilting of the platform 28 draws upwardly the door 14 of the casing 19 by reason of the connecting arm 29 and cord 34 and allows the lock arm 18'to pass beneath said door and upon. a forward tilting of the trip board 16 by reason of its weighted forward portion. An automatic resetting of the trap is thus effected which is operated by the weight of the animal that has been caught therein, while the animal is securely retained in the trap after its first entry therein, and its death is provided for upon an attempt of the animal to escape.

WVhile the form of the invention herein shown and described is what is'believed to be the preferred embodiment thereof, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made in the form, proportion, and details of construction Without departing from the spirit and scope .of theinvention as set forth in the claims.

-What I claim is A trap comprising a catching casing having an exit opening in the top thereof, a drop door slidably mounted at the front thereof, a trip board pivoted within said casing, a lock arm Iorwardly positioned upon said board and adapted for projecting beneath said door when the latter is in its open position, a relatively larger casing, said last named casing having an entrance openinga'djacent the top thereof, a passageway in the larger casing adjacent the upper edge of the front wall thereof, said bail having its ends curved and positioned beneath the platform and extending within the larger casing beyond its pivot point and terminating adjacent the inner edge of the platform, and a tilting platform secured to the inner bent ends of the bail arm normally lying in a plane continuous with the rigid platform, the connection between the bail ends and tilting platform adapted tolbe moved relative to the inner edge of the rigid platform to afford a space between the meeting edges of the platforms when the drop door is held elevated.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SILVESTER ONYSKOW.

Witnesses:

PAUL ROGULJA; Gnnen Scranonvro. 

